


Hong-Kong to Chicago

by Leirofa



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Flying some plane, Gen, Silk - Freeform, Snakes, clients
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 07:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9167542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leirofa/pseuds/Leirofa
Summary: In which Arthur learns he is a natural snake charmer, Carolyn gets 3 fish tanks, Douglas buys baby formula and Martin gets his face bitten by a snake.





	

**45 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“What on earth are you buying that for?” Douglas asked as he continued to rearranging the 34 packs of baby formula with in his bag.

Martin turned around looking like he always did, slightly annoyed. “You do realize I am not the one buying baby formula, right?”

“No, you are quite correct you are the one buying silk lingerie.” Douglas responded.

“Quiet!” Martin snapped, “I will not be the one to explain what lingerie is to Author and you know he will tell Carolyn”

“Then perhaps sir sees that the best course of action from this point on is to tell me what you are buying it for. A girlfriend? Must be someone special you have been staring at those pieces for practically half an hour.”

“Ten minutes Douglas.”

“Never the less pick one, unless you are looking for real silk then you might want to try over there.”

“Are you telling me you can read Japanese?”

“Are you telling me there is something you think I can’t do?”

**41 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

“Douglas turn out your coat.” Carolyn ordered as they entered the small airport. 

“Whatever for?” Douglas asked innocently.

“I know what you did at Air England, and may god have mercy on your soul if I find even one silk kimono on GERTI.”

When Douglas offered no answer, she turned to Martin. “What is he doing this time, I can practically smell the scheme he has cooked up”

“From my experiences, I have learned not to get in the way of Douglas and his extracurricular activities so I will be staying silent this round thank you very much.” Martin responded quickly.

“Is this about the baby food?” Arthur asked popping up next to his mother.

“Lord I hope not.” Carolyn answered.

**43 hours untied scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“Ok Mr. Han Solo I want to know what you smuggled onto this plane.”

“Well seeing as we are past the point where you could do anything about it, and hang on, Han Solo?” Douglas asked.

“One of you gave Arthur the brilliant idea to watch a Star War.”

“Star Wars Carolyn” Martin corrected not looking away from the navigational equipment.”

“I know I just wanted to see which of you idiots put the idea into my son’s head.” Carolyn responded before swiftly turning on her heels and leaving the flight deck.

Douglas smirked at Martin who realized what he had done.

“She’s is going to get me back somehow. Isn’t she?’ He asked.

“No doubt about it” Douglas responded smiling at the open blue sky.

**39.5 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“Ok boys this is where I leave you, I am meeting our client’s wife in Chicago, where you will be transporting their cargo.” 

“Right, why does she need you to be there before we arrive?”

“She doesn’t. I just can’t stand being on another flight with you three for another 16 hours. Goodbye” She said before running off to another gate.

“So we need to find this women’s husband and load everything onto GERTI then take off tomorrow morning.” Martin recapped.

“That is about the gist of it yes.” Douglas added.

“Here is the address.” Douglas continued digging paper out of his pocket, “You and Arthur go get everything and I will meet you back in here about 4 hours.”

“And where are you going?” Martin asked dumbfounded that Douglas would entrust him to do something.

“What I have brought here is only going to be valuable here Martin, people in Hong-Kong believe the baby formula from Japan in going to be healthier for their children when in reality they are the same. But parents will do anything for their children’s health, I am just helping then feel secure about their purchase.”

“You are smuggling baby formula?”

“Bye.”

**39 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

Half an hour later found Arthur and Martin at the door of a very large house, possibly in the category of mansion.

Martin rang the doorbell and instructed Arthur to stay silent.

A woman with short blond hair wearing a sun dress answered.

“You must be from MJN air!” She said with delight. Arthur had immediately taken a liking to her and smiled wildly back.

“Yes, I am Captain Martin Crieff and this is Arthur Shappey.”

“A pleasure to meet both of you” She responded shaking both their hands. “Now if you could come with me.” She continued.

“Oh, I was told we were meeting Mrs. Thénardier’s husband, is he around?” Martin asked.

“Martin.” Arthur whispered before he was elbowed in the stomach by Martin.

“Excuse me?” The blond women replied.

“We are looking for Mr. Thénardier, the one who is married to Mrs. Thénardier .” Martin continued.

Her smiled faltered for a second. “You are looking for the person married to Mrs. Alice Thénardier yes?”

“Yes her husband” Martin agreed.

“Her wife” Arthur mumbled.

“What?” Martin asked turning around the face the steward.

“This is Mrs. Thénardier’s wife.” Arthur continued.

“But” Martin started “OH” Martin exclaimed and turned back around to face Mrs. Thénardier.  “I apologize I was just, I mean, it isn’t that I-.”

“Skip was expecting you to be a man.” Arthur finished before looking down a long hallway that a dog was laying in. 

“It’s ok, captain, it happens.” Maria replied. “My name is Maria. Now if you don’t mind helping me get all my little ones ready to go?”

 “Of course” Martin responded, ready to agree with anything she said after the mistake he had made.

“The ones on the right are friendly and all you have to do it place them in their traveling tank below their normal tank.” She instructed as the three of them entered a large room with a glass ceiling.

“Woah!” Arthur said running up to the first tank he saw.

“Not that one!” Maria called after Arthur, but he had already reached his hand in to pick up the large snake.

“He’s brilliant!” Arthur said turning around to see the shock of both the captains and the hosts face.

“That’s a rosy boa, normally very temperamental and he is a biter.” Maria explains attempting to take the large snake away from Arthur.

“I’ll carry this one!” Arthur announced bringing boa to his face.

“That is Jean” Maria said, ready to catch the snake should Arthur drop him.

“Arthur I believe she wanted us to put them in the tanks not hold them for 16 hours” Martin said sternly.

“Oh, but skip he is giving me kisses” Arthur announced proudly as the snake flicked his tongue out at Arthur's nose.

“Arthur, he might bite you, put him away.” Martin replied.

Arthur looked back to the snake in front of him before placing him gently in the tank which was empty except for substrate. Maria, now positive her snake would come to no harm started removing the others from their tank.

Arthur, not listening to instructions, continued to pick up snake after snake from the left and right side. Martin considered correcting him but he wasn’t getting bitten and Maria had not said anything.

**38 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

Half an hour later Martin had just about finished, but Maria and Arthur had bonded and were now kissing every snake and complimenting them before putting them in their tank. Which, in all fairness, did slow them down quite a bit.

Martin moved to take out another snake. The name on the tank read “Cossette”. 

“Wait not her” Maria started before being interrupted by a loud scream from Martin. The little snake had latched itself onto Martins hand and was apparently unwilling to let go.

“Stop moving!” Maria cried as she ran over.

“Cossette likes to bite and doesn’t like to let go.” She explained as she attempted to extract the snake’s teeth from Martin.

After 10 minutes of struggling Cossette was off Martin with minimal damage to either of them. Arthur was now cradling the snake explaining how she shouldn’t bite Skip as Skip is brilliant.

“Well Arthur you certainly have a way with snakes. My wife and I are moving our research facility to Chicago, if you ever would like to help us out here is my card.” She said handing a business card to Arthur.

“No training necessary, the snakes like you and it would be great to have a handler like you on the team.” She continued smiling.

“No thank you.” Arthur responded. “I like working for MJN.”

“Then please feel free to visit whenever you are in Chicago! I will personally give you a tour.” Maria said.

“Gosh thanks! That would be brilliant!” Arthur answered and Martin attempted to get his hand to stop bleeding from the snake bite.

**34 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“My god Martin, why do you look like that!” Douglas asked as he walked into on to the airfield.

“Because a snake bit my face Douglas.” Martin responded.

“Did it now?” Douglas asked, attempting to keep from laughing.

“Some of them got out while they were in the car because someone,” Martin paused to look at Arthur. “did not put the lock on the tanks!”

“Tanks?” Douglas asked, his smile replaced by a look of confusion.

“Carolyn didn’t tell you either?” Martin asked.

“Tell me what?”

“The ‘cargo’ of this flight is snakes.” Martin said.

After a short pause a large smile returned to Douglas’s face.

“We are transporting snake.”

“Yes”

“You do realize.”

“Yes, I do Douglas.”

“This means.”

“You don’t have to say it I know.”

“We have.”

“I really do get it.”

“Snakes. On a plane.”

Martin sighed. “Yes”

Looking very pleased with himself Douglas looked over Martins shoulder to see Arthur moving tank after tank into the hold.

“Hang on, you can’t put them in there.” Douglas said. “Snakes need to be at a certain temperature and be somewhere Arthur can keep an eye on them. Could you imagine if they got loose down there? We would never find them.” Douglas finished.

“Oh, alright help me move them.” Martin responded.

“Hmmm. Now you see I just thought of something that might have saved us quite a few problems, besides you and Arthur seem to have this under control.” Douglas responded slowly backing up.

“Besides I have 2 more packets of formula to sell. I’ll see you back at the hotel, I will text you the address.”

“Hang on how are you getting to the hotel from here?” Martin called after him. Douglas only waved his hand dismissively as he turned from his co-workers.

**30 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“The reservation is under MJN” Douglas repeated.

“Yes, I understand, and as I told you before, there is only one room booked.”

“Yes, and as I said before that can’t be right!” Douglas argued.

“I am sorry sir but that is what I have booked, if you want another room I can give you one for the same price as the first.” The young man working at the desk replied nervously.

“Just give me the key, I’ll work something out.” Douglas responded.

The hotel was by far not the worst they had stayed it. It had hot water a bar and clean sheets. The one thing it didn’t have was two beds in the room. Douglas was well aware that Arthur would be more than happy to take the floor but that still left him sharing a bed with Martin for the night.

**28.5 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“Douglas!” Martin shouted as he knocked on the hotel room door again. “Douglas wake up!” Martin shouted again as Arthur wandered up and down the hallways, content to explore the hotel.

After 10 very long minutes of knocking, yelling and an old man screaming at ‘them stupid kids’ Douglas opened the door.

“Are we all going to sleep in the bed? Like a sleep over?” Arthur asked excitedly.

“No!” Martin and Douglas both exclaimed at once.

“Aw but it would be brilliant” Arthur argued.

“It really wouldn’t Arthur.” Martin explained.

“But it would be you, me, Douglas, and Jean!” He continued.

Martin and Douglas both froze and turned to look at Arthur.

“Who?” Douglas asked.

“Arthur, you didn’t” Martin practically begged.

“But I did Skip!” Arthur responded.

“Martin.” Douglas said quietly.

“Yes Douglas.” Martin replied still in shock over the new development.

“Did Arthur steal one of the passenger’s snakes?”

“It is looking that way yes.” Martin replied.

“I didn’t steal him! He is going to go back to the airfield with us in the morning.” Arthur argued pulling the rosy boa from his pocket.

“This is what is going to happen.” Douglas said looking at Arthur.

“You are going to sleep in the bathroom with the snake in the bathtub. And you.” Douglas started while turning to Martin “are going to take the bed with me.”

**29 hours before scheduled arrival time in Chicago**

Arthur woke up at 6am Hong-Kong time and leaped up to find Jean. Jean was comfortably nestled in some towels that Arthur had arranged and was clearly displeased to be woken up.

Arthur walked out of the bathroom to find Douglas curled around Martin.

“Morning chaps!” He said while giving a kiss to Jean.

Both Douglas and martin woke with a start and immediately separated. It reminded Arthur of the musical Greece that he saw last week when the two boys hugged each other then went directly to fixing their hair. 

“We don’t have to be up for another hour Arthur.” Douglas said darkly.

“Right, well if you want to cuddle with Skip for longer than I can get breakfast by myself” Arthur said happily.

If it was anyone else Douglas would have assumed that he was being teased, but as this was Arthur, and Arthur was dreadful at teasing.

“I’ll join you.” Martin said standing up. “Let me just get ready.” He continued while scampering off into the bathroom where Arthur had spent the night.

“This is Jean!” Arthur said excitedly while sitting in the bed next to Douglas. “and this is first officer Douglas, he is brilliant.” Arthur whispered to the snake before thrusting the snake into Douglass lap. The snake proceeded to strike out at Douglas’s leg before slithering under Arthur's shirt.

“ARTHUR!” Douglas said, now on the floor after jumping out of the way of the snake.

“Maria said he was bitey but he never bit me so I thought maybe she was wrong.” Arthur explained looking hurt.

“But she wasn’t, was she?” Douglas responded

“No.” Arthur answered sadly as he gathered the snake into his hands.

“How do you think you are going to get that to breakfast.” Douglas asked.

“Oh I thought this one though very well!” Arthur responded happily.

“Did you now?” Douglas responded.

“I will wrap him in a blanket and act as if he is a baby.”

Douglas saw the many ways this would end badly but instead picked himself up from the floor and went to find his uniform, it was too early for this.

**20 Hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

“Everything alright back there?” Martin called from the captains seat. They had successfully gotten the snakes into the plane.

“Yes Skip!” Arthur responded cheerfully.

“And Jean is?” Douglas asked lounging in the co-pilots seat.

“In his house!” Arthur responded slightly less cheerfully.

Martin relaxed until the way Arthur responded caught his attention.

“What do you mean his house?” Martin asked over the intercom.

“Well he had so many places to hide when he was in his normal home so I thought I would make him one here so he would feel more at home.”

“Out of what may I ask?” Douglas asked.

“I took a milk carton and cut it and wrote ‘Outback Snake House’ on it in sharpie and put it in his tank.”

The enter plane was silent for a moment while both pilots contemplated what Arthur had said.

 “Where did you get that idea?” Douglas asked.

“Tumblr!” he responded cheerfully.

“Prepare for takeoff Arthur” Martin said.

**11  hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

“Um chaps.” Arthur said uncertainly as he entered the flight deck.

“The snakes got out didn’t they.” Douglas said completely surprised.

“Well not all of them.” Arthur responded while Martin considered the safety of banging his head against the control panel.

“Well shut the door and round them all up, don’t open the flight deck door until they are all collected. We can’t have any of them come in here.”

“Oh right!” Arthur responded before going back and picking up the intercom.

“You saw this coming hm?’ Martin asked

“Miles away.” Douglas responded.

“Ok so the snakes missing is one problem, another is that I broke 3 tanks.”

“Three?” Martin practically yelled. “How did you break three?”

“Never mind that,” Douglas interrupted. “Are the snakes injured in anyway?”

“No! Of course not, they were long gone before the tanks broke.”

“We are going to have a conversation about that after you collect the snakes.” Douglas said.

“Right-O” Arthur replied happily.

“I’ll call Carolyn” Douglas said while Martin prepared to go assess the situation.

**4.5 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“Dear god Arthur what happened there is glass everywhere!” Martin said before seeing the lightsaber on the floor.

“I just wanted to be a Jedi!” Arthur responded, crawling on all fours looking for the snakes.

**4 hours until scheduled arrival in Chicago.**

“Did you call Carolyn?” Martin asked, returning to the flight deck.

“In the way that she said hello and I said buy 3 glass tanks before hanging up then yes.” Douglas responded. “Did you get all the snakes?”

“Yes, but we have nowhere to put three of them.”

“Martin did you happen to find that silk lingerie that you were searching for?” Douglas asked quickly.

“Yes” Martin muttered as his face turned red.

“Go get it.”

“What why?” Martin asked.

“Just do it!” Douglas ordered and he ignored another call from Carolyn.

**3 hours and 45 minutes until scheduled arrival in Chicago**

“Whoa!” Arthur commented. “This is brilliant.”

“It actually is, how did you know to do this Douglas?” Martin asked.

“Silk has little to no traction, the snake can slither all it wants but they won’t be going anywhere.” Douglas replied.

“There is something I don’t understand” Arthur replied.

“Yes?” Douglas asked.

“Why is the snake in a bra?” Arthur asked.  
“Martin, would you like to take this one?”

**2 hours since arrival in Chicago.**

“Your son wanted to be a Jedi and broke three tanks! That’s hardly our fault!” Martin shouted over Carolyn while Arthur moved the snakes from the silk into the new fish tanks.

“Mum can we get fish?” Arthur called.

“No!” She yelled back before turning to her pilots.

Martin attempted to start explaining again while Douglas watched amused. “Enough! We need to get the sakes to the place!” Carolyn snapped.

“The place hmm? Sounds nice.” Douglas chimed in. Carolyn glared.

**3 hours since arrival in Chicago.**

“So, this one is Jean, and that once over there is Snippy, oh the red one is Enj” Arthur explained to his mother who was not paying the slightest attention.

“Ok we’re here, everybody out!” She ordered. They piled out of the car to be greeted by a  brown-haired women.

“Ah, Miss Thénardier, we have your snakes!” Carolyn explained.

“I really must thank you” She said “Not many airlines are willing to transport snakes with their ability to escape most tanks.”

“Well I think you will find that here at MJN air we are very well qualified to handle any transportation need you have now and in the future.” Carolyn said in that voice she reserves for customers who pay well.

“Well I do have some other snakes I need to transport here, but those are venomous so my wife and I are having a difficult way of getting them here.” She continued. “and we simply can’t stand to ship them! Some of them are extremely difficult to find.”

Douglas and Martin looked to Carolyn while Arthur look excitedly at the woman.

“Brilliant!”

**Author's Note:**

> I am not sure where I was going with this. I miss cabin pressure.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
